What the land? - 6/22/15

Happy Fathers day and this Friday happy independence day for Madagascar! what a week!...not going to lie it was kind of a time to have a mental meltdown but I am doing a lot better today. Just feeling the weight of about 200 members on my shoulders but that's ok. Things are going a lot better.

On Friday I had the AWESOME opportunity to receive the experience of building a house, and feeling like I was in the Prince of Egypt. I became..... A pit dancer. I danced in the pits making mud for about 4 hours and boy oh boy do I feel for those Children of Israel. Haha we even put music in the background just to make it that much more real. All I needed was to have a staff and be like "LET MY PEOPLE GO!" Haha I tell you one of my new goals is to make a house in my backyard out of mud and then I can use that for my children when they get older, and the best part is that it is free! :) Time to become a master of the mud pits!

Eliane is doing awesome, and is learning really well. She is so ready to be baptized and I am super excited for her. SO AWESOME!

One of the exciting things this week is that Elder Coleman and Reynolds should be coming to move into our house. So that is going to be Incredible! I am way excited for that.

Other then that things are going great and I am still loving it here in the great land of Manandona. Haha good old Fort D.

Well I love you all. Thanks for all your prayers. They are really needed.

Love Elder Lehr

Howdy yall! - 6/15/15

You know, One of the things that I realized this week is that if we don't get baptized....We can not enter the kingdom of God. I mean we just can't!!! It's so obvious! (That was for you Elder Christiansen)

How is everyone doing!!? Things are just AWESOME Here in Manandona. I love it so so so so much! 

Recently we talked to a dadabe who lives WAY FAR AWAY! And was super diligent, but now has firmly decided that he is to old to continue and as such is going to stop coming to church and is joining a different church......We are still not giving up on him!!! :)

We have also been planning a couple of formations to teach teachers how to teach, and also to teach people about the wonderful principle known as BUDGETING! Seriously!! These last couple of weeks have been very interesting as I have seen the blessings that have come from doing a budget. 

On Friday we helped a sister who needs a house built, and we started the foundation. It's SUPER COOL how they do it. They start by just bringing BUCKETS of water to make mud, and you have people that are just focusing on making as much mud as possible, and then you had people doing measurements and digging areas for the Pillars to go, and the walls, and it literally looked like a miracle. I thought it was one of the coolest things ever.

Again.....I am SO SORRY! We just got a call that we need to head over to the house since there are some people there. I really do hope that there can come a time when I can just sit down and type an email, and actually have a p-day. haha fa TSY MANINONA! Izay ny fiainana!

Ok Love you all and hope you have a great week.

Am-Pitiavana

Elder Lehr

Aoka Lesy! - 6/8/15

ooo ahy!  Things are going great. We have been having fun as always, and have been having things happen in peoples lives which I think is good in a sense because they are realizing that that need to be more humble in order to get ready for the temple, so that is good.

Manandona is still the best place on earth, and gets me every time with its just pure beauty. Right now everyone is planting their potatoes and their green peas, and things are just going well. Its gotten a little cold here not going to lie, but I still love it here, and it's great to be with Elder Tsetra. 

On Thursday I went on a split with Elder Obioma Which was WAY AWESOME! We had a great time in Manandona and he is just chuck full of great ideas in how to improve an area. I was super grateful to have been able to go on the split with him and to just see his desire to be the best person that he can be, and to help others be that as well. It was super duper fun.

Saturday we had zone conference, and it was amazing but super sad at the same time since President Adams is going home July 2nd. Fun fun fun all the time :)

One of the things that I have been trying to work on recently is my speech. It's so easy to get caught in using regular words, but its very true that no matter how you dress, or how you walk or how you do a certain thing, the most dignifying part of a person is probably his speech and the kinds of words that he uses. So that is what I have been trying to work on recently and I have seen a difference as I have been striving to do this.

.....other then that.....Tsy dia haiko laotra.....hmmm.....Well things are still going great, and I am healthy right now so that is a blessing. Eliane is still going strong and it's been a great miracle to have her in the branch and striving to understand this gospel. I love this work.

Well Am-Manaraka.

Elder Lehr

What the ness??? - 5/25/15

HOLY WOW! In the words of my beloved friend Jean Louis "Elder Lehr, you are great, and your companion...he is AWESOME! Do you know what happens when you put Great and Awesome together? WOW!! W. O. W WOW!!" Haha that's how I feel about this week. WOW!

To begin with, we have been going hard in the paint like no ones business! Just going going going going, and if we can take a 2 minute nap we do because we are about to drop, but hey! That is the great work of the Lord :)

A surprising thing happened this week and we were able to have Nirina and Claudine from Besoa come back! They are done with their work and are planning on staying. You can put a girl from the Dona in the city...BUT YOU JUST CAN'T TAKE THE DONA OUT OF THE GIRL. WHAUUP!!! Haha "Once a farmer....Always a farmer" :) That right there shows of good workmanship :)

It's been pretty cold these last couple of Sundays and then because of Pentecost people are visiting family in other churches so we are kind of hitting a low right now in church attendance.....but that's normal :) And then we also have these 2 people in our branch who are learning piano, but are still not good at it, and they are willing though to play the......Middle hymn.........Interlude?........Question mark?........Tsa Fantako! But they have been doing a way awesome job.

Investigators: Eliane is one of the most awesome people ever. I love that girl. I hope she goes on a mission, because she can change lives. She is going great and we are trying to teach her family who is passing by this week in Manandona, and we shall see how that goes. Then we have Solo who is progressing now.

Things are going great, and I love this place. Fighting apostasy on every turn is fun, and I love being here. 

Thanks for all your prayers.

Am-Pitiavana

Elder Lehr

Its the most wonderful time of the year :) - 5/18/15

Elder Lehr, Frere Richard, Elder Razindrasetra, Sister & Pres. Adams

Why Lety e!? This week has been pretty great. We have been going 100 miles an hour for the last couple of weeks but we are doing good. :) It's fun going home and just crashing onto the bed without any other thoughts then "Bed, I am coming onto you like a fat kid on a cupcake!" It's been a wonderful week of splits and preparing for getting people ready to go to the temple.

On Sunday we started a temple prep class to show people that we really want to help them prepare to go to the temple, and that we mean business. So we had 3 families and some other people who are going on missions come to the class, and it was a wonderful experience to see them so attentive and yearning to go. So many people in the Dona are scared to go to the temple because of previous people that have gone, and then came back and did some things that weren't ok. BUT! We are here to fix that :) NO more being scared of going to the greatest place on earth! YES! :p

Haha Also on Sunday my companion went on a split with Max and then I went on a split with Jean Louis, but he ended up having to go to Antsirabe, and so I am thinking "Maybe someone from Antsirabe can be my companion for a little bit" But when we got to the church, I found that they were still having class, and had to wait for member help to come....Then all of a sudden Jean Louis flees and...I am left alone.....I was like "What the ish just happened???" So I went in with the elders quorum and waited for them to be done, but basically got stranded in Antsirabe until about 6:00 and then was able to get someone to go with me back to the dona... "Well at least my companion was doing work while I was drowning like a fish out of water." Fun fun fun :)

Lets see.....Other then that...my companion is one of the coolest people on this earth. I love him so much and it makes being here in the Dona just a wonderful experience. We work way hard and he helps keep me on my feet :) He has also been teaching me how to cook malagasy food. So BONUS!!! Haha we have been making Trondro maina (Really really dry fish) and pork, and cow and other really great malagasy dishes :) 

Things really are improving though in Manandona and I feel that things are going to start to go on fire as we focus on the temple and try to get people pumped for it. That is at least my hope. 

Today we are planning on hanging out with Elder Snell and Anderson since they came up from Ambositra again. I love it when those 2 come down and hang out with us. We get to talk about the life and just drink the sweet sweet nectar of Ft D.

Well I love you all and thank you for Your Prayers for us. 

Am-Pitiavana 

Elder Lehr